Latest I have stayed up in a long time. Made my first glass of milk in sketchup! I thought I would need it after last night..

It looks like I get to teach an introduction to Structural Analysis course this spring.

Which got me thinking about the great photos on the “Bridge Photo of the Day” blog showing low cost suspension bridges. (Mark is a volunteer for the bridge building non-profit. )

Bridges to Prosperity is a non-profit that helps to build bridges as part of “the global fight to end extreme poverty in our lifetime. It is a poverty reduction method that is sustainable, scalable, and incredibly efficient.”

The Happy Pontist wrote a great series on the program.

Do yourself a favor and look at the great photos on the bphod, the quality is great (large photos) and I often wonder if I could actually design them…..

Have A Happy New Year!

A video showing the history of the Champlain bridge and one blowing it up..when was the last time a President showed up to open your bridge?

Do you think this is the way to get ahead?

I don’t think I could design the Eiffel tower without a computer. Blueprints here.

Well its tough to design a new bridge every day but I think it would be possible to sketch a bridge design 20 minutes a day (for a year?). The design muscles need flexing and the more you practice the better you will get. (hey it didn’t work for me, hmmmm)

Smashing magazine has a good article for the budding designer.

Have a Happy Holiday!

Well my bridge didn’t win but there are some interesting structures in the National Steel Bridge prize Competition. (pdf file)

The Happy Pontist has good news on two possible bridge competitions. (It is always good news when a new bridge is being considered!) How he finds these things I will never know, its like he lives on the inter-tubes!

Here #1 – prototype wildlife bridge

Number #2 - design a second footbridge

I know the Golden Gate bridge is the most famous bridge of color and I know that when you see a white bridge you shout “that’s a Calatrava!” So what other bridges rely on color to enhance their appearance?

http://www.gateshead.gov.uk/images/Leisure/Art/PreAngel/Bridge2.jpg

Painting a bridge is often frowned upon as a maintenance nightmare. When a bridge is painted, engineers typically stick to blue, red and white. (These colors seem to have stable pigments and last.)

So help me out, send me some links for bridges that rely on their color. A bridge that would lose its identity if you changed the color.

http://www.urbanup.net/

I made a card,